I'm not an expert Taz, but I can help ya a bit. The 3 I've taken were all killed with the same heads I used for Whitetails. 65 lbs is plenty of bow for blackies. I still would reccomend fixed blades heads tho. I like to wait for the bear to swing his closest front leg forward and hit him just behind. Double lungs or heart shot is the way to go. I've had bear that was prepared and tasted just like the finest roast beef. I've also had some that was not fit to eat. Guess it depends a lot on what their eating. A bear thats eating garbage from the dump or rotten meat tends to taste nasty. I didn't find skinning all that tough. Pretty much like a deer. You do need to know how to go up the underside of the legs and remove close to the paw. I always left the head for the taxidermist to skin out.